Labornet Japan is a network of citizens, unionists, activists, scholars and others from all walks of life to share information especially about rights and struggles in and outside of Japan. Established in 2001, the group now has more than 500 members, and the membership is growing. The English site introduces some reports shared on Labornet Japan website and other sources outside of Japan.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Labornet TV on Oct. 8 aired the program
entitled, “Don’t rewrite the history of ‘comfort women’!” Taking advantage of
the report of Asahi Shimbun’s “false testimony of YOSHIDA,” the Abe
administration attempts to spread propaganda that the Asahi report formed the international
public opinion on comfort women of the Japanese military during the World War
II. But WATANABE Mina, the executive director of Women’s Active Museum on War
and Peace, showed that it is entirely a nonfactual “made-up story.” She
contradicted Abe’s propaganda by giving concrete evidence one after another
that “the comfort women issue” began spreading with the confession of KIM
Hak-sun, a wartime comfort woman; that the wartime brothels expanded not only
in Korea but also all over Asia; that the Japanese Imperial Army documents
described the procurement of “comfort women”; and that the films vividly
illustrate testimony of comfort women. She said with anger, “We can’t let them rewrite
the history. What we should do now is to summon the former prime minister
NAKASONE Yasuhiro and others responsible for opening wartime brothels to the
Diet and to elucidate the truth. ”

Vicious and despicable abuses
of human rights are being committed. Threats were sent to Hokusei Gakuen
University in Sapporo, demanding the dismissal of UEMURA Takashi, a part-time
lecturer and former Asahi Shimbun newspaper journalist. The sender threatened
to bomb the school unless it dismisses him and urged Uemura’s daughter to kill
herself by posting her name and photograph online. In the midst of this, a
group “Makeruna Hokusei! no Kai” (Don’t Give In, Hokusei! ) was formed mainly
by lawyers and scholars on Oct. 6.On the
same day, a press conference was held at the House of Councilors.“This is a terrorism against free speech, and
it is a crime. Before the war, there was a similar incident, in which Professor
YANAIHARA was expelled from the university. It is paving the path to war. The
freedom of speech and academic freedom will be destroyed unless we stop it
here,” said YAMAGUCHI Jiro, a founding member of the group.UTSUMI Aiko, another member called out,
“Hokusei is a respectable university with its own peace declaration. Although
there have been moves to support Uemura within the school, let’s support him
and Hokusei from outside of the school !” (By M)Youtube

Our Planet-TV, an
internet media organization, had asked if it could shoot the protest against
the restart of nuclear power plants from the roof of the Diet press club building.
The protest was held in front of the
prime minister's official residence. The request was turned down by the press
club, which manages the building. Independent journalists like the ones at Our
Planet-TV and foreign correspondents have often been excluded from the press
clubs in Japan. Consequently, the independent media filed a lawsuit against the
press club claiming that they were discriminated against. Our Planet-TV claimed
that it would constitute a violation of media freedom and that the press club building
was originally built to let the people know the activities of the Diet.

On Oct. 14th, TANIGUCHI Sonoe, a
chief judge of Tokyo District Court, dismissed the case and ruled that either
defendant, the state or the Diet press club had no responsibility of compensating
Our planet-TV for the damages while neither of the defendants encroached on the
right of the plaintiff.

At the press conference after the decision, SHIRAISHI
Hajime, a representative of Our Planet-TV, said, "The ruling was very
unduly. The mainstream media are trying to hold fast to vested interests
excluding the other media. The ruling goes against the times when better media
access to the government is encouraged thanks to the internet spread." She
added that she is ready to appeal the court ruling.

The reporters of Labor Net have also been
chagrined at gathering information of the protest activities in front of the
prime minister's official residence. We'll continue to closely monitor this
case.(Takahei)Phott\o: The Diet Press Club building on 29th July

Protesters rallied in front of the Prime
Minister’s Office and the Diet Building on the cool night of Sept. 26. Many
held a sign stating “Don’t Restart Sendai Nuke Plant.”This was the 119th of the Friday
anti-nuclear demonstration, which has been held every week in front of the
Prime Minister’s Office. Misao REDWOLF from the Metropolitan Coalition against
Nukes, the organizer of the event, said, “I have attended the demonstration every
Friday, that is to say, 119 times. There are not as many people as before, but
the number of demonstrators stays consistent these days.” She emphasized the
importance of continuing the protest saying, “By gathering here, we’d like to
keep sending a message to the pro-nuke people that the voices against nuclear
plants have not been toned down.” Lawmaker KIRA Yoshiko, a regular attendant of
the protest, gave a pep talk, “We will squarely confront pro-nuke Prime
Minister Abe in the extraordinary Diet session. Let’s fight together in and outside
of the Diet!” An elderly woman who sat alone on the ground holding a banner of
anti-nuke in her hand said, “I just came out of hospitalization in September,
but from now on I’ll come every Friday without fail.” (By M) Youtube

Saturday, October 25, 2014

A citizens' group aiming at the abolishment
of State Secrets Law staged a protest against the cabinet's approval of the
operation guidelines for the law outside the prime minister's office on Oct.
14. “No! to the cabinet's decision!” “Don't deprive us of the right to know!” –
About 20 people gathered for a rally started at 8 am and raised their voice.
The cabinet, rushing to the effectuation of the law in December, also adopted
an order to effectuate the law on Dec. 10 irrespective of the strong opposition
from the general public. Lawyer KAIDO Yuichi and Social Democrat Upper House
member FUKUSHIMA Mizuho were among the protesters surrounded by a large number
of policemen.“This law has no system to
protect whistle-blowers.Though we could
not stop the enactment of this wrong legislation, let's not give up and do our
best to abolish the law,” said Kaido.(By the Committee to Abolish the State Secret Law)